


Parallel

by ellipsometry



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellipsometry/pseuds/ellipsometry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reflections of the past and future, over a cup of tea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parallel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sickwonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sickwonderland/gifts).



You've met hundreds of dead trolls in a hundred different dream bubbles, but never a dead human. Maybe that's what surprises you the most when you run into her. She looks very relaxed, sipping a cup of tea placidly despite the suffocating darkness surrounding you. There's nary a chipped nail or hair out of place on her, nary an eyelash uncurled as they frame milk-white eyes, staring at you expectantly. One perfectly-plucked platinum blonde eyebrow raises.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting to run into you, Rose."

"Neither was I, Rose."

Despite the fact that she's sitting down, Rose Lalonde still strikes an imposing figure. In spite of yourself, you feel a bit of pride swell within you that your post-Scratch incarnation appears to be every bit as striking as you'd hoped she'd be. And, embarrassingly, that also makes your throat go dry.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?"

It's all you can do to nod.

From then on, it seems as if she's always there when you pass through the dream bubbles. Waiting for you, sipping a cup of tea. No one else ever mentions seeing her and you wonder how she's able to control her dream bubble so resolutely. You wonder how much practice she's had.

The first few times you meet it's quiet and all your questions seem to freeze in your throat. She is always graceful and welcoming, and asks you polite questions about your universe and yet you can't bring yourself to feel anything less than intimidated. (Now you suppose you understand how Kanaya felt upon first meeting her ancestor.)

"I don't bite." She remarks one night, when you both reach for the sugar bowl at the same time and you flinch away.

You laugh nervously, "I suppose I know that."

"Well," She leans back, a knowing twinkle in her eyes, "I've asked you plenty of questions about your universe and your friends. Do you have any questions for me?"

From the way that the corners of her mouth twitch upwards, you feel as if you're getting a taste of your own psychoanalyzing medicine. Considering that this version of yourself is decades older and wise, you're not surprised that she can see right through you.

"Tell me about... your friends." You're not sure if that's the right way to phrase it.

She laughs, "I had friends too, I assure you. The same ones you had. Well," she smiles softly, "a little bit different."

As she speaks, colors and words start to appear, ghostly and floating above the table, images of another universe.

\-- gildingGeogony [GG] began pestering tamelessTableaux [TT] \--

You blink rapidly in surprise, but Rose regards them without surprise, "Jade was the one to bring us all together, of course."

GG: Rose Lalonde.  
GG: If I might have a word.  
TT: You might have a word if I might know who this is?  
GG: This is Jade English.

Rose chuckles under her breath, "Of course I knew who the infamous Jade English was."

TT: An honor, surely.  
TT: Although, doesn't pesterchum seem a bit informal way of contacting me?  
GG: Considering that you're the younger, inexperienced one here I'd appreciate if you wouldn't tell me what to do.  
TT: I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.  
TT: I'm sorry for bringing it up.

You cock an eyebrow, "A bit sycophantic, wouldn't you say?"

Rose laughs under her breath, "One wasn't supposed to speak back to Jade English."

GG: pffffffthahahaahahah  
GG: wow you fell for that easily!  
GG: i thought for sure i was going to mess up with my typing  
TT: I'm sorry... what?

You can't help but snicker under your breath. It seems as though Jade Harley and Jade English were not that different after all.

GG: pesterchum is more fun than writing a letter, to answer your question!  
GG: but i want to ask you if youd like to help me

Rose waves a manicured hand through the cloudy words and they dissipate quickly. "She asked if I would be willing to continue her work with the rebellion. She... she thought that she would be dying soon."

You nod, understanding why she wouldn't be too keen on reliving that conversation. "And she introduced to Dave? And John?"

"John was never really the rebellious kind," She laughs, "But she did introduce us. Dave and I had met once before and never really got along. We had vastly different methods for how we wanted to convey our, well, _messages_."

GG: i have to introduce you to dave!!  
GG: i think youll really like him

"Ah, yes," you say, "Well I haven't had the privilege of watching Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff: The Moive but I hear it was a show-stopper."

GG: although you might butt heads a bit...

She doesn't wipe away these words, just regards them fondly as the eventually fade away, "Jade was insistent we get along."

"And did you?"

Another sip of tea, "Of course. It's impossible to disagree with Jade English."

 

\----

 

You don't always dream. Sometimes it's nightmares instead.

TG: what else is there to know  
TG: we lost  
TG: cant finish the game with a dead heir and witch  
TT: We don't know Jade is dead for sure.

You had been so stubborn about it.

TG: yeah well she had a big fucking meteor bearing down on her and we never heard from her again

But no matter what, Rose—Lalonde, as you've taken to calling her—is always there. Sometimes, like now, she doesn't say anything, just stands to the side and watches you with tight lips and sympathetic eyes.

GG: rose please dont cry! ill be fine  
GG: ill find a way!

You hadn't even told her you were crying.

GG: everything is going to be ok just you wait and see! :)

Ultimately, you guess, she was right. But at that moment, with a meteor headed straight at her and Dave sitting beside you trying to hide his tears by pushing his shades further up his face, it certainly didn't seem that way. You remember clutching hopelessly at your bed sheets.

She wasn't even scared. Not like you were.

TT: After you go, what do you think will happen to me?  
TT: Will I just cease to exist?

When Dave left, you didn't cry. You think, at that point, your tears had all but dried up.

You and Lalonde watch your alternate self fall asleep in hopes of saving even a small part of herself. 

She must have succeeded because you remember every minute.

 

\----

 

The next time you meet her, she already has your tea ready.

"Jade was the one to bring us all together, too." You say as you sit.

"A universal constant, it seems." Lalonde smiles as she sips her tea. You smile, remembering your first conversation with Jade, one that could be classified as awkward at the very least. Just as with Lalonde's memory, the words of your pesterlog being to appear, out-of-focus, floating peacefully around the table.

\-- gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] \--

GG: hi my name is jade!!  
GG: whats yours? :0  
TT: Hm.  
TT: Yes, I too have a name that is utilized to communicate my identity to my fellow man but I'm not really inclined to share it with someone I don't know who is pestering me seemingly out of nowhere with no explanation.  
TT: I believe this is where I take my leave.  
TT: Goodbye stranger.  
GG: nooooooo no dont leave!!

"Quite an obstinate little shit, weren't you?" Lalonde snickers into the back of her hand.

GG: im sorry i didnt mean to freak you out i just wanted to introduce myself  
GG: ive seen some of your posts on the game forum and you seemed nice  
TT: Oh.

You flush with chagrin now just as you had done then. "I think I was most of all surprised that she considered me nice."

GG: and also im pretty sure we are going to be really good friends  
GG: the best of friends in fact!  
TT: Oh?  
TT: And what makes you say that?  
GG: hmmmmmmm i dont know  
GG: i just know these things sometimes!  
GG: ;P

The laugh that comes out of your mouth is bitter more than anything else, "I was always so jealous of her for that. For her foresight."

"The visions Prospit gave her?"

"Yes. But not only that, just..."

TT: I don't know if I'm inclined to believe you, then.  
TT: An informant is nothing without a credible source.  
GG: well lets just say youll find out one day

"She could always package up the future in a hint here or a riddle there."

GG: actually not only are we going to be best friends but were going to have two other good friends too!  
GG: ill introduce you to john, youll really like him  
GG: im not sure if youll like dave.... i have a feeling you guys might butt heads...  
TT: Am I supposed to know who these people are?  
GG: youll know soon enough!! :D

"A future we could only hope to see." You say, quietly. You don't have to say anything about how you had never had friends growing up. About how Jade was the first person to really shatter through the flimsy façade that seemed to stop everyone else in their tracks. From the look in Lalonde's eyes, you think she already knows.

The colorful words start to fade and disappear, dripping delicately into your tea. It swirls and dissolves, like it was nothing more than an absurdly colored sugar cube.

Lalonde gestures to your Seer robe, "Well now you have the same foresight that she had.

You got what you wanted."

Your tea's gone cold, and when you take a sip it's sour going down.

 

\----

 

"Did you still have Seer abilities in your universe?"

You ask your question before you even sit down; Lalonde looks a bit taken aback, "I did. It was how I knew that Roxy and Dirk were coming. It enabled Dave and I to prepare homes for them."  
"Useful visions, then." You frown, "Undoubtedly a pleasure to have visions untainted by the horrorterrors."

There's a pregnant pause, "My own visions were not free from manipulation." Lalonde says quietly.

This time, it's images that appear, floating and hazy above the table. Images of a younger Lalonde pacing through an empty apartment, hastily scribbling something down and placing it gently in a portable appearifier—one with the Crockercorp logo scratched off.

"Dave appreciated the irony of me owning a Crockercorp product." Lalonde says softly. Her eyes stay averted when the words of the letter spell themselves out in a repeating pattern all throughout the dream bubble in soft purple text, reminding you of your own journals.

  
Dear Jade,

I know that you have been planning on making a trip inland to consult with me and Dave but I'm afraid I must advise against it. I just had a vision that tells that if you do travel you will be vulnerable and the Condesce will take advantage of that and attack you. In my vision you died please Jade, I can't let that happen.

Stay on the island and I promise you will be safe. Please heed what I say, please. We can always meet another time. Right now you need to stay secure and safe.

Yours,  
Rose

The words fade as quickly as they came.

"She used you. She changed your vision." You say quietly, wincing when the images of Jade English's death appear, looking like real ghosts haunting your tea party.

Lalonde looks away from the image of Jade face down on the forest floor, tips of her white hair dyed red with blood. You yourself can hardly watch. Eventually it fades, and the whole dream bubble seems to flicker off like a dying light bulb.

You are the one to break the silence, "How long have you been looking for her?"

She doesn't respond, just delicately drops another sugar cube into her tear, stirs it slowly, and takes a small sip. The clink of the china as she places the cup back down on the saucer echoes in your mind for what seems like hours.

You think you have your answer.

 

\----

 

When you finally meet Jade in your dreams, she's not the Jade you're looking for.

"I'm guessing I'm a bit older than you were expecting?" Jade English is ancient. She slaps her hand on your shoulder and cackles in a way that is both off-putting and charming and you're not quite sure how that's possible.

You smile weakly, "A little bit."

Jade smiles down at you, "You look just like her."

"Appropriate, I'd say, since I am her."

She laughs again and slaps you on the back with a force that makes you lose the breath in your lungs, "Sassy just like her too. But a lot easier to find, that's for sure."

The dream bubble that you're both in looks like an atypical Spartan dorm room: A chair and desk in on corner, a bed in another. On one wall there's an ornate frame, but instead of housing a piece of art it frames big black letters that just spell out "OBEY."

Jade snickers when she catches your eyes sweeping the room, "My childhood room. Charming, innit?" She strides to the bed and plops down on it with a relieved sigh, "Mom wasn't really great with interior decorating."

You smile and lean against the desk, empty of papers, "It must have been strange, being raised by the same woman you would one day lead a rebellion against."  
She snorts, "Strange for sure! But... not as horrible as you'd think. Memories always look worse when you look back at them. You think, 'why did I put up with all that' but it's different when it's... well, when it's your mom."

You swallow hard.

"Besides! I died before shit got too weird!" She snort-laughs and slaps her knee, "I mean, juggalo presidents?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Where did you hear about that? I mean, about what happened after you died?"

"I'm dead, not stupid. I have my ways, and these dream bubbles are very liberal with their information." Jade winks at you and even though she's more than eighty years old and not your Jade, you feel your cheeks flush. You decide to drop it.

The two of you just talk for a while; unlike when you talk to Rose, there's no silent pauses, no quiet moments filled with the clink of china and delicate sips of tea. Talking with Jade English is just like talking to Jade Harley: there's nary a quiet moment, everything is loud and exciting and there is always something to say, always something to laugh about.

It takes a while, but eventually you find a pocket of quiet, and you slip in what you've been meaning to ask, "Did you say you were looking for her? Earlier, you said something about how you wanted to find her, the... other Rose."

Jade's face falls, "My Rose." She says quietly, almost too quiet for you do hear. (Almost.)

It's the unspoken line separating the two of you. Just like she's not your Jade, you're not her Rose. Neither of you are the person the other has been looking for. So close—and yet you get the feeling that if you tried to touch her you would phase through one another like ghosts.

"I am looking for her."

You smile. "And she's looking for you." You're happy for her, for Rose. But you hope that it means that somewhere, Jade is looking for you too.

Jade doesn't say anything, but she crosses the room and places her hand on yours. You feel every wrinkle, every imperfection, but for a moment it puts you at ease.

You get the feeling the fond smile on her face is for someone else.

 

\----

 

"Hurry!! Hurry, hurry!!"

"You know they're not going to be disappearing on us, right?

Jade and John are loud as always, laughing and shouting as they run down the gangplank that connects their golden ship to your meteor. The contrast is just as ridiculous as you'd always thought it would be.

By the time they reach the floor of the meteor they're out of breath and all wide-lipped smiles. "Hi," is all Jade says before she engulfs you in the biggest, warmest hug you've ever recieved.  
"I-It's lovely to see you, Jade," You squeak out, giggling in spite of yourself.

"I like your snazzy new outfit!" She laughs in your ear, holding you so tight that she lifts you off the ground a bit. (You've never doubted for one second that Jade is the strongest of you all.)  
You pull back a bit and prod one of her new ears with your pointer finger, "And I like your new ears."

Jade laughs—she's always laughing, you think, "Do you?"

"Yes, you're like the furry princess of my dreams," She laughs, squeezing your hand, "Oh, Ms. Harley!" You say, feigning swooning. (Never mind the fact that the beaming smile on Jade's face might actually make you swoon.)

You don't need to see Lalonde out of the corner of your eye to know that it's a dream, a reflection of the future you've projected onto a dream bubble with your Seer powers. It's not real. One day, it could be real. But for now it's nothing but a dream. 

Still,

Jade's warmth against you feels real right now, 

and you decide that you don't mind.

 

\----

 

dear rose,

happy birthday!!!!!

i cant believe we've known each other for so long! and we became super awesome best friends just like i knew we would hehe. you are so smart and funny and the fact that you are basically nocturnal sometimes makes it so that our time zone difference isnt really that bad :P

i would say that i hope we get to meet one day but i know that we will!! it might take a lot longer than we realize and at first thats gonna suck but when we finally do me it will totally be worth it because im gonna give you the biggest!!! hug!!! ever!!!! it is going to rock your world so you better prepare yourself ms rose lalonde!!!!!!! i cant wait until we can actually see each other, not just because your sarcasm will be easier to detect in person but also because im so excited for us all to be together!

i hope you like your present! its not much but its a tshirt from my favorite show, squiddles!! i think youd like it its really cool! i have a squiddles shirt too so maybe when we finally meet we can match haha. i changed it a little bit though, so it looks like one of the eldritch things you like so much!

rose, you are my very best friend and no matter what happens i will always be there for you. sometimes things will get hard but i know that if we stick together everything else will just fall into place. :)

ill talk to you soon!!

love,  
jade


End file.
